Prime Minister Tarique Rahman set aside his prepared speech at the launch of Notun Kuri Sports at Sylhet District Stadium on Saturday and addressed the children in the gallery directly, telling them the idea for the nationwide grassroots talent hunt grew out of a dinner conversation in London four-and-a-half years ago.
He walked to the podium, raised his notes in one hand, and said, “I have a paper in front of me. For the speech. But I will not read from it. I will chat with you instead.”
He then ignored the usual roll call of dignitaries and put the children at the centre of the event. “Today’s programme, today’s Notun Kuri Sports programme who are the chief guests? You little friends sitting in the gallery, you are today’s chief guests.”
He spoke to the 12 to 14 year-olds in Sylhet and the 64 districts joined virtually together. “I am telling all of you, not just those in Sylhet. I am telling the whole of Bangladesh. This is your programme today.”
Tarique then moved to the origin story, with State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque seated beside him.
“This is from about four, four-and-a-half years ago. I was living in London then. Aminul came to meet me. I took him to a restaurant for a meal. Your aunt [Zubaida Rahman] came with us. We were talking about Bangladesh. Because Aminul is a sports man, I started a sports conversation with him. We discussed what we could do for sports. As we kept talking, we sat at the dining table and decided we would start Notun Kuri Sports in Bangladesh.”
The story places the programme’s roots in his London years before he returned to office, with his wife Zubaida Rahman, whom he addressed as “your aunt” to the children, present at the dinner.
He then explained the wider reason. “Why did we decide on this idea? I want MPs will come from you, ministers will come from you, prime ministers and presidents will come from this Bangladesh, won’t they? Insha Allah.”
The pitch goes well beyond Notun Kuri’s stated brief, which is grassroots sports in eight events. He asked the children to set their own targets in studies and in sport.
“Studies cannot be skipped. But alongside studies, every one of you has to play. You have to prepare yourselves. You have to fix what you want to do, and once you do, you have to move forward to achieve that target.”
He then widened the list of futures beyond athletes. “Some will be players, some will be singers, some will be musicians, some architects, some engineers, some doctors. Each of you has to grow. Only then will Bangladesh grow. The government, the state, is with you.”
He closed with what he called a contract. “Read, prepare yourselves. And play. The government will arrange things for those who want to learn music. We will arrange things for those who want to play. This is my contract with you. But as I said at the start, all of you have to become Bangladesh’s ambassadors.”
